Pittsylvania County NAACP hosts environmental justice webinar

CHATHAM, Va. — On Thursday, Aug. 19 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Pittsylvania County NAACP hosted “Pittsylvania Community Circle of Protection for Environmental Justice: Sharing Our Stories.”

The online event highlighted personal stories from those fighting environmental injustices across Virginia and North Carolina.

Attendees learned more about the Lambert Compressor Station proposed for Chatham. The station would connect to the Mountain Valley Pipeline and emit pollutants such as particulate matter and formaldehyde.

The event opened with a prayer from Pastor Ralph Hodge, who spoke of the need for everyone to act as stewards of our Earth. Belinda Joyner of Garysburg, North Carolina, shared her experience as an organizer for issues her community has faced including industrial hog farms, a wood pellet facility and the now-cancelled Atlantic Coast Pipeline.

Dr. Mary Finley-Brook, University of Richmond professor and member of the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative, highlighted that Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Southgate extension lacks necessary permits to extend into North Carolina. 

Elizabeth and Anderson Jones, members of the Pittsylvania NAACP Environmental Justice Committee and landowners impacted by MVP and the station, spoke of their deep connection to the land, and work to safeguard their community’s air.

Crystal Cavalier-Keck, the co-founder of 7 Directions of Service and a citizen of the Occaneechi Band of Saponi Nation in North Carolina, shared about her connection to the Banister River, and her work connecting communities who would be impacted by the MVP Southgate.

Richard Walker, founder and CEO of Bridging the Gap in Virginia, shared his experience battling the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which was slated to cross his Family’s land in Buckingham, Virginia. He encourages those in Pittsylvania County opposing the Lambert Compressor Station to, “band together, because this is not a done deal.”

Additional local community leaders and environmental advocates also spoke at the informative event.

The Pittsylvania County NAACP has hosted a series of educational community events regarding the proposed Lambert Compressor Station, which would pull gas from the unfinished Mountain Valley Pipeline, to the proposed connector, Southgate.